French Revolutionary Wars: Campaigns of 1796

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The French Revolutionary Wars continued from 1795, with the French in an increasingly strong position as members of the First Coalition made separate peaces. Austria and Great Britain were the main remaining members of the coalition. The rebellion in the Vendée was also finally terminated by General Hoche.

Mignet's History of the French Revolution states:

"The directory found the Rhine open towards Mayence, the war of La Vendée rekindled; the coasts of France and Holland threatened with a descent from England; lastly, the army of Italy destitute of everything, and merely maintaining the defensive under Schérer and Kellermann. Carnot prepared a new plan of campaign, which was to carry the armies of the republic to the very heart of the hostile states. Bonaparte, appointed general of the interior after the events of Vendémiaire, was placed at the head of the army of Italy; Jourdan retained the command of the army of the Sambre-et-Meuse, and Moreau had that of the army of the Rhine, in place of Pichegru. The latter, whose treason was suspected by the directory, though not proved, was offered the embassy to Sweden, which he refused, and retired to Arbois, his native place. The three great armies, placed under the orders of Bonaparte, Jourdan, and Moreau, were to attack the Austrian monarchy by Italy and Germany, combine at the entrance of the Tyrol and march upon Vienna, in echelon. The generals prepared to execute this vast movement, the success of which would make the republic mistress of the headquarters of the coalition on the continent."

1 Italy
2 Germany
3 At Sea
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Italy

See also: Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars

Bonaparte left Paris on 11 March for Nice to take over the weak and poorly supplied Army of Italy, arriving on 26 March. The army was already being reorganised and supplied when he arrived, and he found that the situation was rapidly improving. He was soon able to carry out the plan for the invasion of Italy that he had been advocating for years, which provided for an advance over the Apennines near Altare to attack the enemy position of Ceva. Having been attacked by Austrian forces near Genoa on 10 April, Bonaparte countered by attacking and destroying the isolated right wing of the allied armies at Montenotte on 12 April. He then drove the Austrian and Piedmontese armies further apart at Dego, before harrying and defeating the Piedmontese at Ceva, La Bicocca, and Mondovì. A few days later, on 28 April, the Piedmontese signed an armistice at Cherasco, withdrawing from the hostilities. On May 18 they signed a peace treaty at Paris, ceding Savoy and Nice and allowing the French bases to be used against Austria.

After a short pause, Bonaparte carried out a brilliant flanking manoeuvre, and crossed the Po at Piacenza, nearly cutting the Austrian line of retreat. The Austrians escaped, but had their rear-guard mauled at Lodi on May 10, after which the French took Milan. Bonaparte then advanced eastwards again and in June laid siege to Mantua, the strongest Austrian base in Italy, while also moving into the foothills of the Tyrol.

During July and August, Austria sent a fresh army into Italy under Wurmser. Wurmser attacked toward Mantua along the east side of Lake Garda, sending Peter Quasdanovich down the west side in an effort to envelop Bonaparte. Bonaparte was forced to abandon his siege of Mantua to meet the threat, but exploited the Austrian mistake of dividing their forces to defeat them in detail. Quasdanovich was overcome at Lonato on August 3 and Wurmser at Castiglione on August 5. Wurmser retreated to the Tyrol, and Bonaparte resumed the siege.

In September, Bonaparte marched north against Trento in the Tyrol, but Wurmser had already marched toward Mantua by a route further east, leaving a holding force behind. Bonaparte defeated the holding force at Calliano, but had to return south to defeat Wurmser at Bassano. Wurmser, cut off from his base, had to retreat into Mantua.

The Austrians sent yet another army under Alvinczy against Bonaparte in November, but they were defeated in the Battle of Arcole east of Verona.

[edit] Germany

Meanwhile, Moreau and Jourdan crossed the Rhine and invaded Germany. Moreau was at first completely successful, having crossed the Rhine and defeated the Austrian forces there, he advanced into Bavaria and fought the Archduke to an inconclusive draw at Neresheim. Advancing to the edge of the Tyrol, he took Ulm and Augsburg, but Jourdan became separated from Moreau and was defeated by the Archduke Charles of Austria at Amberg and Würzburg, and both armies were forced to retreat separately across the Rhine by September, ending with the same territorial conditions as the campaign had begun.

[edit] At Sea

Spain signed a Treaty of Alliance at San Ildefonso with France on August 19, entering the war against Britain on the side of France in return for concessions in Italy. In response, Britain withdrew from Corsica in order to concentrate the Mediterranean fleet at Gibraltar against the combined threat.